Synopsis:

The girl is on her own, without a family, without a home. She had encountered a boy who was also on his own and abandoned. they become very close. A relationship forms between them. After a heated fight…they split up and decide to go their own ways. The girl has been reflecting on her relationship with the boy. She is reconsidering her decision of leaving him, but knows it was the right thing to do, for both of them. She tries to shake the idea of him. Yet, she cannot seem to get him out of her head. She still feels so much regret. She decided sending a goodbye letter would be the best thing to do in order to help her truly forget about him and move on. The girl writes her letter to the boy recounting their relationship, memories together and their fight that divided them. She ends the letter saying how she’ll never go back to him, it’ll just end up hurting the both of them. Film ends with a shot of the girl getting into an old black Mercedes (the boy’s car, mentioned in letter).

Review by Andie Karvelis:

Breakups…We’ve all had them. Sometimes we are the one doing the breaking and sometimes we are the breakee. Either way it hurts, you feel guilty, you second guess yourself and you replay all the good and bad times in your mind.

Isabella Donohue created Letters to the Absent with the help of Annie Htay and Georgia Gleason and it’s a film we all can relate too. Those moments of self doubt after you have called it quits with someone you truly care for. I loved the effect that was placed on the footage, it really made it look like memories that were being re-lived. The voice over was heartfelt as it read this letter outloud to the person whose heart has just been broken.

The music choices were well thought out. Can’t ever go wrong with having Joy Division for the end credits! The music underscoring the film sometimes overpowered the voice over, especially when the lyrics kicked in. A little softer music volume would have been perfect because everything that is being said is so super important. Nice twist at the end, it really leaves you wondering what happens between this couple.